CEO Spends $3M to Support Candidate who Votes to Overturn $50M Verdict

New York Times (12/9): “Don Blankenship, the recently indicted former chief executive of Massey Energy, has a history of donating a lot of money to West Virginia politicians. In 2004, for instance, Blankenship spent $3 million to support the election of a lawyer named Brent Benjamin to the state’s Supreme Court of Appeals. It was, notably, more than three times the amount spent by Benjamin’s own campaign. But for Blankenship, it appeared to be a beneficial investment. Once seated, Benjamin cast the deciding vote to overturn a $50 million jury verdict against Massey.”